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oh thank you so much for the links!
the one you liked i call her "zorra", as in feminine of zorro!

if you have a chance, get a pic of your orange mouthed one, and post it here!

I'd lost him today. Not long after posting here, he got sick. Around his face he had red and black sores. He was a real fighter. A couple of times he got better and I put him back into the community tank. Then he got sick again. He battle for awhile until he got dropsy. All the time he keep coming to me, and sitting in the middle of my hand. I never had a fish that fought so hard to live, and was so responsive. If anything, I say he was the toughest fish I have ever owned. And he was a BALLOON MOLLY. The saddest thing is I never got a good photo of him. I now have memory's. RIP little fella. ***Tiger.

The sad thing about all of this is the disposable quality that fish have assumed over centuries of maltreatment. Yet the public is all too willing to snatch up a cheap pet to quiet their child. No matter our strife the demand for distorted specimens shall always be too great. Also I question all the replyers to this post, how balloon mollies show a disadvantage? Mine are personally the first to reach the food and one of the stronger swimmers in the aquarium.

Mutations occur in nature in order to better suit animals to their environment and are anything but cruel

That isn't true. Barely any of the mutations that occur in nature are actially helpful. The ones that are helpful, however, do help in the evolution of the species. You don't naturally find balloon mollies in the wild, unless they have been released there. It is a mutation that occured naturally, yes. But had it been in the wild, the fish most certainly would have had a disadvantage and would have died before passing it on. The ballon genes were taken advantage of in the aquarium hobby, and that is why we have them.

Also, chiclids are subjected to selective breeding.

Yes, but not nearly as much as livebearers and other species. You don't find as destructive variations that are manmade.

*hands DJTJ a cough drop*

Now, I assume your coughs about blood parrots and flowerhorns were in accordance with the above quote? If so, you must realize that those two fish are hybrids. That is entirely different from mutations. I still don't like those either though. We don't need any more fad fish that get huge, or fish that are unable to swim and close their mouths.

I don't really have a problem with Ballon Mollies being sold. If you like them, great. I personally don't like the look of them, and I wouldn't buy them. But to each their own.

---

They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

If yyou have dedicated such a portion of your aquatic endeavors dealing with the species why must you always look upon them as the negative byproduct of humans? It seems quite pointless doesn't it.

Toirtis, before slapping false faces on a certain species you must have cultivated the breed to aqdequately understand its full potential.

Yes, I suppose breeding 150,000 or so over the last 3 decades certainly does not qualify me there.

In order to comment upon the genetics of a species you must also understand the basic concept. Genetics is ALL NATURAL.

I must have slept through all those months of animal genetics courses while taking my degree in zoology, or I guess I would have known that.

Mutations occur in nature in order to better suit animals to their environment and are anything but cruel.

See above.

...are quite like hatchetfish in their aquatic maneuvering capabilities.

But, sadly, unlike actiual mollies in this regard.

Also, chiclids are subjected to selective breeding.

So are humans, but I fail to see a point here. I dislike malformed cichlids, too.

omg zoeandmaia!!

she is absolutely adorable!!!

(cough) blood parrots (cough) flowerhorns (cough) (cough)

As a prevalent breeder of the species (albino, especially) my experiences with these livebearers have been anything but negative. Toirtis, before slapping false faces on a certain species you must have cultivated the breed to aqdequately understand its full potential. The specimens found in local pet shops have been malnourished and the water quality is the opposite of pristine. In order to comment upon the genetics of a species you must also understand the basic concept. Genetics is ALL NATURAL. Mutations occur in nature in order to better suit animals to their environment and are anything but cruel. Balloon mollies have no handicap and are quite like hatchetfish in their aquatic maneuvering capabilities. Also, chiclids are subjected to selective breeding.

Here's a photo of my favorite balloon belly. She was my first. She's very social and always rushes to the glass when I approach the tank. When I'm doing work in the tank she comes up and "kisses" my hands. Anyway, she sold me on balloon bellies and now I have five.

Molly

Last edited by zoeandmaia at 12-Mar-2005 22:36

yeah NATURALLY ugly! lol

Yes, but at least the cichlids are natural.

well, thank god people are different and have different tastes. most people i know think cichlids are beautiful. to me they are one of the ugliest fish i have ever seen and would never have them, but, again, people's tastes are different...

From where I stand, they are short-lived, gimpy mutants....I much rather stick with my wild-type and outbred sailfins, which get to 4"-5" each and live a good 5 years.

i cant stress enough how much i love these fish!!

Last edited by chrisinha at 08-Mar-2005 20:57

i used to not like them, but now i think they're cute ^_^ perhaps i should aquire some at some point...

Hey guys,
I saw these in my lfs, and the poor things looked like they could hardly swim, and kind of unnatural. Do they appear like this naturally, or have they been bred like this? And is this cruel? The poor fishies just seemed so unhappy

Sam

chrisinha,
Great looking balloonies.
I love the look of the female in the last photo. Looks like she has attitude.
I have only one balloon male left. Have'nt got a pic of him at this stage. He is a sailfin, all white with these orange lips. I don't know where he got the orange lips from. (there is no lollipops in my tank ]) Must be a throwback from a gene somewhere down the line.

Thanks. I did a clickable links for you.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/peixes/DSC01743.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/peixes/DSC01744.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/peixes/DSC01737.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/peixes/DSC01738.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/peixes/DSC01605.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/peixes/DSC01604.jpg

Last edited by TigerAngel at 08-Mar-2005 18:17

here's some of my girls

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/peixes/DSC01743.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/peixes/DSC01744.jpg

unfortunately i lost the lyretail one, she's the one on
the right

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/peixes/DSC01737.jpg

this is Flocos. She has just one eye

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/peixes/DSC01738.jpg

the orange ones are the males

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/peixes/DSC01605.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/peixes/DSC01604.jpg

Last edited by chrisinha at 08-Mar-2005 17:22